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By "end of class" do you mean that you have completed the paramedic program and earned your state license? If so, spend the next 4-6 years becoming a "master paramedic" with an aggressive, progressive EMS organization, where the organization has a good Field Training and Evaluation Program and will invest in your development.

If by "end of class" you mean the classroom portion, and you have hospital clinicals and field intership ahead of you, get to work! Remember:

On time is late, early is on time.

There is no job too good for you to do.

Nobody should have to tell you to get to work - demonstrate your motivation.

If it doesn't feel right, don't do it.

Go on - get out there and learn how to be an excellent paramedic! Good luck!

I am at the end of the didactic portion ending in March. I am currently looking for a good place to do my hospital and field time. If you know of any places that have a good field training and evaluation program that would be great.

I live and work in Alaska. We have expanded protocols and aggressive medical director who wants you to think for yourself. Which makes me want to be better at my job. I am continually learning here. The down side is I do not get a lot of calls. We have about 410 year here over 1/2 are critically ill or injured due to people not wanting to get seen until it is too late.

Since I live in Alaska I have to do my field time out of State which makes my life more difficult. I am trying to find a good progressive department that would be ok with a hard of hearing student. I have been in EMS for 12 years so I know my hearing loss is not a big problem for me. I want to be a great paramedic and learn from great preceptor.

The paramedic program (National Medical Education and training center) will work with department to get a internship set up. I just need an ok from the training coordinator.

Thank you so much for the suggestions- I have read several of your post and you seem to have a level head and a lot of experience. Do you precept?

Finding a paramedic service that will allow an out of state P-intern to complete their field time is going to be a tough road to haul. Unfortunately field training/preceptor spots are at a premium since there are so many paramedic programs out there. In San Diego there are interns that are waiting for paramedic preceptors for up to a year due to the abundance of paramedic programs (some running 2 paramedic classes each program per year.) Last count is that San Diego County alone has 5 paramedic schools.

With the advent of on-line/highbred Paramedic programs (I am assuming your program is a highbred) things have gotten very sticky in regards to allowing non-military out state P- interns in hospitals and onto paramedic units without multi- million dollar liability policies and even then it is still difficult. The worst thing about these fly-by night “national” paramedic puppy mills is they don’t tell you the whole story. In other words, in order to get your money these programs make it seem like it will be a “walk in the park” securing clinical positions, although the caveat to this is that finding clinical slots is the student’s responsibility. I know these shady programs very well. I was briefly involved with an accelerated “national” program started by Jay Keefhauver and McCook college in Nebraska in 2006. The first class of students were basically robbed of over $13,000 dollars each (by Keefhauver and McCook college) because the prospective interns were unable to secure clinical training slots in their home states and for that matter any other state besides Nebraska. While the student’s money had already been deposited, the program managers/ administrators hid behind the legal jargon of the student contract instead of helping them find adequate clinical preceptor programs. Consequently all 6 students never completed the program and were forced to repeat P-school at legit programs elsewhere. I quit teaching there the minute it became shady.

Amy, my suggestion to you would be to start a NEW discussion on this board specifically aimed towards finding clinical/internship options for your particular P-school. Your original post makes it seem like you're about to graduate, get your gold disco patch, and now you’re looking for tips to become a good paramedic. There are plenty of solid people on this board that have the know-how to help you. This kind of medical-legal-educational-legal stuff is way out of my pay-grade.

It is not my intention to dash your hopes, I just wanted you to be aware and to watch your ass when dealing with the type of “national” program you’re enrolled in. I hope this helped.

Thanks for the info. I will watch myself. I am glad the program is helping me at the moment find hospital time and I think I found a field internship place close to where my parents live. I agree it is hard to find a place to do your internship when you live in a very rural community with just a clinic. I work for the city as an EMT. We only get around 410 calls a year but over half are critical due to people waiting too long before calling 911 or even going to the clinic. So I can not do my internship here.

I am sorry for the confusion. I guess I am just too excited and a little anxious to do my field time.

Amy

mike said:

Finding a paramedic service that will allow an out of state P-intern to complete their field time is going to be a tough road to haul. Unfortunately field training/preceptor spots are at a premium since there are so many paramedic programs out there. In San Diego there are interns that are waiting for paramedic preceptors for up to a year due to the abundance of paramedic programs (some running 2 paramedic classes each program per year.) Last count is that San Diego County alone has 5 paramedic schools.

With the advent of on-line/highbred Paramedic programs (I am assuming your program is a highbred) things have gotten very sticky in regards to allowing non-military out state P- interns in hospitals and onto paramedic units without multi- million dollar liability policies and even then it is still difficult. The worst thing about these fly-by night “national” paramedic puppy mills is they don’t tell you the whole story. In other words, in order to get your money these programs make it seem like it will be a “walk in the park” securing clinical positions, although the caveat to this is that finding clinical slots is the student’s responsibility. I know these shady programs very well. I was briefly involved with an accelerated “national” program started by Jay Keefhauver and McCook college in Nebraska in 2006. The first class of students were basically robbed of over $13,000 dollars each (by Keefhauver and McCook college) because the prospective interns were unable to secure clinical training slots in their home states and for that matter any other state besides Nebraska. While the student’s money had already been deposited, the program managers/ administrators hid behind the legal jargon of the student contract instead of helping them find adequate clinical preceptor programs. Consequently all 6 students never completed the program and were forced to repeat P-school at legit programs elsewhere. I quit teaching there the minute it became shady.

Amy, my suggestion to you would be to start a NEW discussion on this board specifically aimed towards finding clinical/internship options for your particular P-school. Your original post makes it seem like you're about to graduate, get your gold disco patch, and now you’re looking for tips to become a good paramedic. There are plenty of solid people on this board that have the know-how to help you. This kind of medical-legal-educational-legal stuff is way out of my pay-grade.

It is not my intention to dash your hopes, I just wanted you to be aware and to watch your ass when dealing with the type of “national” program you’re enrolled in. I hope this helped.